“Merry Christmas.”
* * *
It was early afternoon on Christmas day and Max looked out the window at his father’s place hoping his sister Karen would arrive soon. Although the tree was lit up and his father’s place was decorated for Christmas, it had been eerily quiet all morning. Both Max and his father had been up for hours, but they were waiting for Karen to arrive before they exchanged presents.
Suddenly the door burst open and Karen came stumbling in carrying several packages. “Sorry I’m late. We had the usual Christmas chaos at our house this morning. Now that the kids are older, you’d think they wouldn’t get as excited anymore at Christmas, but they still act like three-year-olds when they start to open presents.”
Max wished he had been there to see it.
“Merry Christmas, Max,” Karen said.
She kissed him on the cheek while still holding the packages. Then she quickly pulled them from the bags and placed them under the tree. She shuffled forward on her knees toward her father who was sitting in the same chair he always sat in and gave him a hug.
“Merry Christmas, Dad.”
“Merry Christmas, dear,” he replied.
Karen noticed an opened present sitting on the table beside her father. “Did you start opening presents without me?”
“No,” Max said. “That’s from Sylvia.” Sylvia was the home care worker who helped take care of their father for a few hours every day during the week. “She gave Dad a book yesterday before she left on her Christmas break.”
“It’s large print,” their father added. “She knows I don’t see as well as I used to.”
“That was sweet of her,” Karen said.
“I made coffee,” Max said. “You want some?”
“No, I’m already pretty wired.” Karen took a quick glance at her watch. “Let’s get started opening presents. I have to be back home in about an hour to put the turkey in.”
They proceeded to open the presents lying under the tree. Karen had purchased several small items for both of them; she preferred that over big presents. Max had purchased expensive sweaters for both his sister and his father. He never knew what to get anyone and sweaters seemed to be his go-to present.
After the last package had been opened, Karen reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. “This is for you,” she said as she handed it to Max.
Max had no idea what could be inside. He slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the contents. “How did you…?”
“What is it?” their father asked.
“Tickets to the Masters,” Karen said.
The Masters is a golf tournament held every year in April in Augusta, Georgia. It’s the first major tournament of the year, one of only four, and many consider it the toughest to win. Tickets to the tournament were almost impossible to get.
“I know you said you always wanted to go there,” Karen said. “It’s just for one of the practice rounds. That’s all I could get. I entered a lottery for them and I won!”
Max’s mouth hung open.
“Do you like them?” Karen asked.
“I’m overwhelmed,” Max finally said.
Karen took a quick glance at her father and then locked eyes with Max.
“There’s two tickets in there. I was hoping you’d take Dad with you.”
* * *
Jerry arrived at Shady Oaks just as the Secret Santa gift exchange was getting underway. Everyone was dressed in their best outfits and there was a buzz of excitement in the room.
“I believe Shirley has a present for you,” Jessica said when she saw him. She pointed to Shirley, who seemed to be hanging back from all of the festivities.
“Merry Christmas,” Jerry said as he sat down beside her.
“Hello,” Shirley said.
“Are you enjoying the party?”
She didn’t answer, but looked at him with a confused expression.
Jerry saw the small package sitting on her lap. “Is that for me?”
Shirley looked at the package, but couldn’t remember how it got there. She read the name on the label.
“Are you Jerry?”
“Yes, I am.”
She handed him the package. When he opened it, he found it contained a key chain that had his name spelled out in small coloured stones that had been glued onto its leather tab. He remembered the arts and crafts class when they had all worked on them.
“It’s lovely,” Jerry said. “Thanks so much.”
Jerry reached into his coat pocket. “Here, I got you a little something as well.”
He handed her a small snow globe that had a classic-looking hotel inside, situated alongside a river. She shook the globe and watched as the snowflakes fell from the sky and landed on the hotel and the evergreen trees surrounding it.
“Thank you so much,” Shirley said. “It looks so elegant. Did you travel there recently?”
“No, I haven’t been there in quite a few years, but it’s always been one of my favourite places. It’s in Saskatchewan. I thought you might like it.”
Shirley shook the snow globe again. “It looks so pretty and peaceful there. I think I’d like to go there sometime.”
* * *
It was almost midnight that night as Elena made her last round of the day to check on all of her charges at Shady Oaks. It had been a busy day, but a great day. All of the family and visitors had returned to their own homes and the residents had been in bed for several hours.
As she passed by Shirley’s room, she was surprised to see a lamp on. Shirley was sitting in her chair with the snow globe in her hand. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
“Shirley, what’s the matter?” Elena asked.
Shirley shook the globe and watched the snowflakes settle onto the castle-like hotel and the surrounding trees.
“I remember,” she said.
Chapter 14: The Southern Swing
Ray stood on the balcony of the condo in Cocoa Beach, Florida, watching the waves crash onto the shore. He loved the sound of the ocean and the warm, salty air. He and his wife, Candice, rented the condo every January and February and encouraged family and friends to visit them as often as they could.
“We should probably be heading to the airport,” Candice shouted from the living room. “Amanda’s flight should be arriving in just over an hour.”
Their daughter and her family were flying into Orlando, about an hour’s drive from Cocoa Beach.
Ray slid the balcony door closed and was pulling his car keys out of his pocket when the phone rang. He was surprised to hear Amanda’s voice when he answered.
“Was your flight early?” he asked.
“No, Dad. We’re still in Toronto. I’m sorry, but we’re not coming.”
“Why? What happened?”
“They kicked us off the plane. Tyler threw one of his tantrums just before we took off and we couldn’t get him to calm down. They said he was jeopardizing the safety of the other passengers, so they made us get off.”
“Is he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine – now. He’s just sitting here calm as can be. The airline offered to put us on a later flight if he remained like he is now, but Doug said he doesn’t want to chance it, so they’re just going to refund us the price of the tickets.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do? The weather down here is supposed to be hot and sunny all week. Perfect beach weather. I know how much you like the beach.”
“We do, especially Tyler, but I’m not sure we can fly with him anymore. Now that he’s bigger, he’s harder to control. He punched me when I tried to get him to calm down. Wouldn’t surprise me if I end up with a black eye.”
Ray desperately tried to think of a solution, but he had nothing to offer. Candice motioned for him to hand her the phone and Ray watched as Amanda explained the whole thing again to her mother. Candice sighed when she hung up the phone.
“Isn’t there something you can do?” she asked Ray.
“Like
what?”
“I don’t know. I was so looking forward to this week with them. What are we going to do now?”
Good question. Ray headed out onto the balcony to think. They had crammed the week with activities to do with the kids. Now they were faced with spending the whole time with just the two of them, without anyone or anything else to act as a distraction or a buffer.
He looked over his shoulder and saw his wife sitting on the couch with her eyes shut. She sure spent a lot of time sleeping these days. Was she tired? Was she tired of him?
He moved off the balcony and back into the living room. “Do you feel like going for a walk on the beach?”
Candice opened her eyes. “With you?”
“Yes, with me. Got anything better to do?”
Candice looked at him, appearing somewhat confused. “Sure, let me grab a hat.”
They took the elevator down to the lobby in silence and then walked along the short path that lead down to the beach.
“Which way do you want to head?” Ray asked.
Candice looked left and right. She could see some storm clouds forming in the south. “Let’s head north,” she said.
They walked along the beach for several minutes without saying a word to each other. Periodically, Candice would stop to examine a sea shell that had washed up on shore.
Ray found a pure white angel-wing shell that he knew Candice would love and handed it to her. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”
She looked at him, squinting her eyes in the bright sunlight. “No. I can’t remember the last time you said it.”
“I do. I guess I should tell you more often.”
They continued to walk along the beach. “This is where you’re supposed to say you love me too,” Ray said.
“You think I don’t?”
“It would be nice to hear it every once in a while.”
She reached out and took his hand. “Yes, I still love you.”
They continued to walk along the beach.
“Are you happy?” Ray asked.
“I suppose,” Candice said. “I’m just worried about Amanda and the kids. I’m disappointed they’re not coming to visit. I had so much planned. The beach, mini-golf, Disney World. I was looking forward to doing all of it with them.”
“We still can, you know,” Ray said.
“Just the two of us? Don’t be silly. Disney World is for kids. We’re too old to go without the kids.”
“Come on. It’ll be fun. They say it’s for kids of all ages.”
Candice poked him in the ribs. “You just read that in the brochure.”
“Absolutely, but I still think it’ll be fun. Let’s do everything we were going to do next week with the kids, but just the two of us.”
* * *
Bruce and Marilyn also headed south for a few months every winter, although they preferred the area around Clearwater on the west coast of Florida. Every year, they invited their kids down to stay with them for a week’s vacation. Emma and Paige had come down in previous years during March break, but they wouldn’t be coming this year because they said they couldn’t afford it.
“I wish the girls were coming down again this winter,” Marilyn said.
“Yeah, I do too,” Bruce said, “but they’ve got to start paying their own way. They’re adults now. Josh has always paid his own way.”
“Yeah, but he’s working.”
“So is Paige, and Emma’s working part-time. They’ve got to realize the Bank of Mom and Dad is now closed.”
Marilyn sighed. She agreed with her husband, but she still didn’t like it. “What time does Josh’s flight get in?”
“Just after lunch, but he’s renting a car so we don’t have to pick him up.”
Josh planned to be in Florida for a week, but would only be spending a day or two with them. He and some friends were staying in a hotel in Tampa and had numerous activities scheduled, including some deep-sea fishing. Bruce convinced him to fit in a round of golf with them mid-week and Josh said he’d be bringing one of his friends to make it a foursome.
They lucked out on the weather and Bruce and Marilyn were sitting in their golf cart on the first tee waiting for Josh and his friend to arrive. Josh had called to say they were running a little late, but he thought they’d still get there before their tee time. Bruce grumbled and checked his watch, again.
“There he is,” Marilyn said.
They were both surprised when they saw the friend.
“Did you know he was bringing a girl?” Marilyn asked.
“No,” Bruce said. “He just said he’d be bringing a friend.”
They came racing up in a golf cart a few minutes later.
“Hi, Mom and Dad,” Josh said as he bounced out of the cart. “This is Robyn. Robyn, this is my father, Bruce, and my mother, Marilyn.”
Robyn was tall and thin and looked to be in her mid-twenties. She had striking red hair and her face also took on a reddish tinge as she came over to them. “Nice to meet you. Sorry we’re late. It’s my fault. I couldn’t decide which outfit to wear.”
“Well, you obviously chose the right one,” Marilyn said.
That was an understatement. Robyn’s outfit was coordinated right down to her socks and golf shoes.
“Dad, why don’t you go ahead and tee off,” Josh said. “I want to take a few practice swings.”
Bruce teed off and hit a good shot. Josh hit next and easily out-drove his father by twenty yards, even without a proper warmup. Then they pulled their golf carts up to the ladies tee. Marilyn also hit a good shot and the focus turned to Robyn. She took a few practice swings which made it apparent that she was a pretty good golfer. But her nerves got the best of her and she barely hit her tee shot twenty yards.
“We’ll give you a mulligan on that one,” Bruce said. “You never really had time to warm up.”
Robyn’s face got even redder. “No, I just want to get off the first tee. I’ll play that one.”
Josh tried to reassure her as she got into the cart. She hit an iron on her second shot which sailed well down the fairway.
“That’s more like it,” she sighed in relief.
As they played the front nine, it became apparent to Bruce and Marilyn that Robyn was more than just a friend to their son. Every time they would ask Robyn a question, Josh hovered close by, ready to come to her rescue.
When they reached the tenth tee, Marilyn suggested they move the bags around on the carts so that Marilyn and Robyn could ride together. “This will give Robyn and I a chance to get to know each other a little better.”
It was hard to object because the men’s tee was back up on a ridge overlooking a small pond and the women’s tee was down below on the other side of the pond. Josh shrugged his shoulders and mouthed “sorry” toward Robyn.
Bruce and Josh drove their cart to the top of the ridge. They had to wait on the tee as the group in front of them was still within range.
“So how long have you and Robyn been going out?” Bruce asked.
“We’re just friends, Dad.”
Josh got out of the cart, walked to the front of the tee and peered down the hill where the ladies were waiting. Bruce grabbed his driver from his bag and walked up to stand beside him.
“Do you think Mom is grilling her with questions?” Josh asked.
“You know your mother. I can pretty much guarantee it.”
Josh sighed. “We’ve only been going out a few months. When I told her I was coming down to Florida for a week with the guys, she decided to come down at the same time with one of her girlfriends. I like her, a lot, but we’re not serious yet. I hope Mom doesn’t wreck it for me.”
Suddenly they both heard Robyn and Marilyn burst into laughter. The sound easily carried to the top of the ridge.
“What do you think they’re laughing about?” Josh asked. “Is that a good sign?”
Bruce put his hand on his son’s shoulder. “You’ll find out soon enough.” He pointed down the fairway
. “It’s your shot.”
Josh teed his ball, but his mind was on anything but the shot. He hit the ground about three inches behind the ball and it fluttered off the top of the ridge and into the middle of the pond below. He reached into his pocket for another ball.
“There’s a drop zone down below,” Bruce said. “You can play your next shot from there.”
Bruce hit his tee shot right down the middle. Then they got into their golf cart and drove slowly down the path. By the time they got to the bottom of the hill, both ladies had already teed off.
“The drop zone is over there,” Bruce said. He pointed to a white circle that was just to the right of the ladies tee.
Robyn gave Josh a sly smile as he headed over to the drop zone. “Sorry you hit it in the water – Pookie.”
Josh turned beet red and turned to look at his mother. She had called him Pookie when he was a baby, but she had promised not to call him that once he started school.
“Sorry,” his mother said. “It just slipped out.”
Robyn started to giggle, which prompted Marilyn to start to laugh and before they knew it, they were both roaring.
“Leave him alone and let him hit his shot,” Bruce said.
Josh played terribly on the back nine, losing to his father by ten shots. He’d still never beaten his father in a head-to-head match. Though Bruce usually relished the competition, he took pity on him this day.
“I know you were a little off your game today worrying about Robyn and your mother, but I think you need some help with your putting.” Josh had missed several three-footers during their round. “We’ve got a guy at our club that specializes in putting.”
“I don’t know, Dad. I was just off today.”
“To me, it looks like your tempo is all off. There’s nothing more important in putting than tempo.” He wasn’t sure Josh was listening. “You’ve got a birthday coming up in a few months. How about I get you a putting lesson for your present.”
“I suppose. If you think it will help.”
The Back Nine: A Novel About Life After Fifty Page 8
